The beginning steps to a frugal home lifestyle are easy. Implementing the work that goes into living frugally is where the challenge begins. Many people say they want to live a life equivalent to the frugal home, but their reality is different. Driving cars that are too expensive or upgrading in home just because is not the way to move in the direction of a lifestyle change.
Frugal Home Planning
Canning is one of the easiest ways to preserve foods. Growing up every year around the end of August my mom would be canning grapes for jelly, and tomatoes for soup. At that time I was never interested in canning, but a few years ago gave it a try. Canning is really easy and can save a lot of money.
Meal Planning is a must. Knowing what to get for food each week is a frugal home staple. In addition to the confidence of being prepared with meals, starts the wheel of grocery savings. This is a stepping stone and allows for cost cutting with coupons and sales.
Freezer meals are excellent for busy families. Utilizing freezer meals cuts out the drive thru lane. When so many costs are rising, food doesn’t have to be one of them.
Grocery Budget is a perfect place to start saving. In this one area, a significant cut back can be achieved. Erin Chase of 5dollardinners.com has a great grocery budget course that helps you walk through the steps. I actually met her at a homeschool conference, and she really knows her stuff. Great lady to meet and love her course. Use my affiliate link here to start this course today!
Gardening is a summer frugal home hobby, but in some places gardening can be year around. Growing up I have fond memories of my parents garden. They worked so hard plowing, planting and growing.
There was a desire to eat fresh food grown at home, save money, and preserve some for the winter. My family now has a garden. The boys’ help us plant and weed each year, and then harvest. As we take out our canning jars for soups or veggies from the freezer I remind them. Growing a self sufficient garden is satisfying.
Frugal Home Improvements
Sewing is a hobby that is helpful to a frugal home in many ways. This skill eliminates the need to buy blankets, dish cloths and if your really good….clothes!
In more recent years, as my kids get older I have some free time to sew. This summer I intend to sew a nice blanket for our master bedroom. I knew this was an area to improve my household savings. Good blankets can be expensive, and are not as memorable. Hopefully my comforter will be used for many years. Sewing is just one of the many hobbies that can be learned for home improvement. Knitting, macrame, painting, and many more can be useful for frugal homes.
Candlemaking is a lost skill. A once very necessary part of home life has now become almost obsolete. Furthermore, it definitely makes more sense to buy an expensive candle from someone else. Moreover, we don’t have time. Or do we? Maybe it is a skill to learn slowly and work toward. Candlemaking could also become a great side income.
Experimenting with different fragrances and molds to create a variety of candles for a beginner might be too much. A candle making kit for beginners is a good way to try this new hobby.
Soapmaking is a safer way to clean hands. All of the ingredients are within your control. When my kids’ were babies, I used cloth diapers because I could control the laundry soap. Homemade laundry soap has fewer chemicals than store bought.
Different molds and fragrances can also be used in this area. Soapmaking is an inexpensive gift idea for Christmas, and is a fairly easy hobby to try.
Home Maintenance and Repairs
Taking care of a home and all of the repairs that align with that takes skill and organization. Home upkeep is the best way to save money in this area. After much experimentation in this area, I have personally found my own list to work well. I use a plain notebook and pencil or pen. Once a year I take a trip around the inside and outside of our home. As I walk around, I take notes. It is that simple.
This home maintenance list is what I use to help our home to look nice. Remodeling can be expensive. Frugal home savings starts with a plan. Having a pre-planned idea of projects allows for savings with sales.
In addition to sales, remodeling cabinets by repainting them is cheaper. When you are able to price check and take your time that is the best way to enable frugal home savings.
Frugal Home Vehicle Maintenance
Oil changes, car washes and low mileage
Frugal home families drive paid for cars. Paying cash for our cars is the best plan for our future. This one area has saved us many headaches.
Older, cars that have no debt do still hold maintenance issues. Used cars will break down. Combat some of the breakdowns with regular maintenance.
Regular oil changes make a difference in the lifetime of a car. Knowledge of how to change the oil in a car is another way to save. In the beginning of our debt free journey my husband changed the oil on our car every three thousand miles.
Car washes at home are an easy way to have family time with a job. We have many good memories of car washing sessions in our driveway. Our goal in this endeavor is too teach our children to take care and what they buy will last longer.
Low mileage is another way to save money on cars. Most used cars do have more miles on them, but we try to purchase from a one-owner and not a car lot. Sometimes an individual will hand over the paperwork to show how well they maintained the car.
Car maintenance is a great way to extend the life of an older vehicle. From this list are many ways to turn the direction and move toward a frugal home lifestyle. Living beneath your income level is rewarding on so many levels.
For more posts on frugal home life and homeschooling join my newsletter!
So many good reminders here. Thanks for sharing at The Homestead Blog Hop!
Thank you!